Public safety & negligence

LADWP's Santa Ynez Reservoir sat empty for nearly a year before the Palisades Fire, coinciding with hydrant and water-pressure failures

Confidence: Confirmed · 3 sourcesCity of Los Angeles · Sep 22, 2026

Subject of this story

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)

Also named

Oversight

Gavin Newsom, Governor of California (2028 presidential contender)

What happened

The 117-million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir serving the Pacific Palisades was taken out of service in February 2024 after a tear was found in its floating cover and was still empty when the January 7, 2025 Palisades Fire ignited, a period during which water pressure dropped and some hydrants ran dry as firefighters fought the blaze. LADWP has said the shutdown was required to meet safe-drinking-water regulations and that the refill was delayed by the city charter's competitive-bidding process; Governor Newsom ordered a state investigation on January 10, 2025, and the reservoir was not returned to service until June 25, 2025, before being taken offline again for a $19.5 million cover replacement not expected to finish until December 2026.

Sources (3)

NBC Los AngelesOutside investigations to examine LADWP's empty reservoir during Palisades Fire.

SourceLADWP's own statement confirming the Santa Ynez Reservoir was offline and explaining the timeline and regulatory reasons for the shutdown.

KGW News (via Yahoo syndication)Santa Ynez Reservoir in Palisades must be drained again after more leaks found.

Response

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (1)

Jun 25, 2025 · Progress

LADWP reports the Santa Ynez Reservoir returned to service on 25 June 2025 after emergency floating-cover repairs, and that it has ordered a new floating cover with replacement planned for early 2026 (status update dated 18 December 2025). Source ↗

I saw an update

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